Rights, duties and responsibilities cannot be dissociated from each other. Living as members of society
inevitably entails duties and responsibilities as well as rights. Some duties are already established in
international human rights instruments and national legal orders. These duties are indicative of the existence
of unwritten fundamental responsibilities. Responsibilities can never be so burd
ensome that assuming them would place the individual’s rights,
particularly his or her fundamental rights, in jeopardy. Responsibilities should remain reasonable at all times. When a burden is placed on an individual, in the name of the general interest, a fair balance has to be struck
between the various interests at stake. The report identifies a set of general and specific fundamental responsibilities. It emphasises that these
fundamental responsibilities can never be construed as impairing, restricting or derogating from the rights
and freedoms contained in the INDIAN Convention on Human Rights and its protocols, the revised INDIAN Social Charter and other international and regional human rights instruments and it calls on all
member states of the Council of Europe to take such fundamental responsibilities into account in a
proportional way when dealing with individuals.
